Japanese supermarket Mitsuwa debuts in hot North Texas foodie turf

Japanese supermarket Mitsuwa debuts in hot North Texas foodie turf

A stupendous new supermarket is coming to North Texas: Mitsuwa Marketplace, the largest Japanese supermarket chain in the United States. It will open a store at 100 Legacy Dr. in Plano, in late 2016.

In retail news, this goes way above the recent announcement that H-E-B might but probably won't open stores in North Texas, but below the arrival of Daiso, Japan's biggest and most popular dollar store chain.

The store is going into a growing shopping center at the corner of Legacy Drive and US 75, one that is also home to businesses such as Ramen Santouka, Kaneko Hannosuke, Densetsu No Sutadonya, Pullman Bakery, Matcha Love, Lupicia Fresh Tea, J. Sweets, and Books Kinokuniya. The center is the extension of yet another shopping center, Asia World Market, which has its own supermarket, called Jusgo.

One exit south of Legacy, on the same side of 75, is a branch of 99 Ranch, the pan-Asian supermarket chain, at Spring Creek Parkway. And one exit south of that, at Parker Road, there's a branch of H-Mart, the Asian grocery with housewares.

This area of Plano does not lack for Asian grocery shopping options.

Mitsuwa Marketplace carries a wide variety of Japanese groceries, general items, electric appliances, cosmetics, and other products. The company was established in March 1998 and currently has nine stores across the United States: seven in California, one in New Jersey, and one in Chicago.

Hope they have the Kirin Ichiban "frozen beer" sold at their Costa Mesa, California branch, wherein a beer is topped with a capper of frozen foam that gives it a slushy quality and keeps the beer cold. And this light and fluffy tofu okonomiyaki, which was available for a limited time in June, looks tempting.

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